Water quality in the Little Arkansas River and in the Equus Beds aquifer has not substantially changed since 2001, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the city of Wichita, Kansas.
Water quality in the Little Arkansas River and in the Equus Beds aquifer has not substantially changed since 2001, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the city of Wichita, Kansas.
“The Equus Beds aquifer is a critical water resource. Long-term monitoring of water quantity and quality allows the USGS to evaluate changing conditions and to provide water managers with science-based information to optimize decision-making,” said Mandy Stone, a USGS hydrologist and the lead author on the study.
The Equus Beds aquifer, located in south-central Kansas, provides drinking water to about a half million people and is the primary water supply for the city of Wichita, Kansas. Groundwater pumping for municipal and irrigation uses, as well as during periodic drought conditions, has led to water-level declines and concerns about future water supply. For this reason, the city of Wichita developed the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery project, or ASR, to artificially recharge the aquifer and help meet water needs during drought conditions.
USGS scientists looked at water-quality characteristics for the Equus Beds aquifer and the Little Arkansas River over a 15-year period from 2001 through 2016. Scientists collected 4,700 samples and analyzed them for more than 300 chemicals. Findings show that water chemistry was within historical ranges of variability over the study period.
Continue reading at USGS.
Image via USGS.
